Life is what you make it.

Next week Lucille and I will celebrate the first 40 years of our family, now all in North America. A family still, despite being challenged by geography, one that has stayed together through deep love, mutual respect and working hard at staying close. It is with tremendous pride that I look back on this family of immigrants and am amazed by what they have accomplished. Lucille, a mere girl when I married her, has had two careers in addition to raising a family. Having won the art prize at school, she was not encouraged by her parents who felt typing skills were more important than art. She worked in a drawing office which was partially artistic. But not until after her responsibilities to her children were complete did she pursue her first love, painting figures. 4 hard years at the Ontario College of Art later, she launched her artistic career which a few weeks ago hit another highlight with the third accepted entry in the Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art exhibition at the National Arts ...

On 12/03, our whole North American family will get together, as well as my sister Margaret who has never been to this continent and my cousin Stephanie from Montclair New Jersey, whom I have not seen in 39 years. None of my family has met Stephanie except maybe Lucille when we were first married 40 years ago. Kendra, Stephanie and her husband John Woodburn's daughter is writing a paper at Bard, a college in New York that is affiliated with the Episcopal Church where she's a student, so she won't be there. Margaret whom I have seen 3 or 4 times in 30 years has never met my son's wife Penny or daughters Abby and Emily, nor my son-in law, James Young. She last saw my daughter Cindy and her boys Tim and Justin in Cape Town when they were about 7 and 18 months old. We plan to celebrate the kids birthdays, parents anniversaries, Xmas and even maybe Halloween all in one weekend. My son, David, our family photographer and movie maker will record the festivities. Later this mont...